Yes I was actually referring to RailSim..

I actually have Trainz too and found it to be even worse. Too ... uhh... cutesy gamey like.

Kind of when I got Sim Myers "Railroads" as opposed to good old Railroad Tycoon 3.

No comparison as far as Im concearned, while "Railroads" may have better graphics the game world seemed tiney and too cartoonish.

I still play with Railroad Tycoon 3 to this day.

Trainz also try to stretch the versions out. I didn't realize they had 2 other updates after 2006, And the new 2009 isn't really complete, but the engineer version will make it complete. man what a money racket.

Well I guess I need to start looking at some other types of entertainment/games, because simulators are a dying breed.

As are PC games in general... just too much 'maintanince'. Too many variables to get it right then the public has a hissy fit when it doesent run on 'their' platform.

Simulators have been a dying breed ever since the late ninties.
To be honest I just don't care anymore for commercial sims. The compromises they have to make to market such games is every time a kick in the ass to its potential customers (and I don't even mention the DRM problem). So I got off the train very early indeed. I think that the future of simulations are to be found in the open source/freeware world. Even if those products can't compete solely on eye candy, they can compete on the rest. And more importantly they are not chained to a windows operating system. As time goes by, and more and more people (hard core simmers) become disillusioned with commercial sims we will see a shift.
And it will be for the better not worse.

Yes I remember when the FPS were taking over, but it seemed like for a moment that there was hope.

Yup Firewall, there's plenty of life left in SH4, FSX, and the like with freeware and payware ad-ons. Time to join an online airlines...:rotfl:

I think there are still good, solid candidates for most branches around. Some of them gets developed on, some not, but that it not the point, the point is if you can take pleasure, excitement and satisfaction from them.

there is X-Plane, Condor for civil flightsims (with FS9 and FSX still around), Mission Space Shuttle and Orbiter for astro-sims, GTR-2 and rFactor for race sims, SH3GWX, Dangerous Waters, Harpoon and maybe SH4 (dont know myself) for navy sims, Falcon, IL-2 and Blackshark for military flightsims, armed assault 1+2, SBP and SF for ground war sims... and the list is not complete, and many more strategy games from specialised publishers, and some more conventional titles are being under developement.

So why the crocodile tears? There is still so much for every taste. the song of sims dying I hear since ten years now - and still they keep coming out. i would more complain about premature releases and bad support having taken over the business routines of many publishers.

Another sign of Microsoft's "commitment" to the revitalisation of PC gaming... Pity the poor games which signed up to the "Games for Windows Live" initiative such as "Battlestations Pacific"

This is as close to an 'offical' source I have been able to find...

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/m...ves/160234.asp

that really stinks Flight sim was a pretty popular simulator.

Hmm, all is not lost. I forgot about the development of the Helo Sim DCS Black Shark

http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/

Edit: never mind, the payment system is whacked. not going there.